Currie Chieftains v Edinburgh Accies, 26 March 2022

Premiership Play-Off Semi-Final

The sun shone, the Malleny pitch was a green carpet, and the Balerno High School pipe band entertained a large crowd for this end of season play-off bonanza. In the cup-tie atmosphere, some older members of the Club may have noticed one missing face; long-standing supporter, Alex Russell who passed away on the 10 March and would have relished this sporting encounter. For many years Alex with his wife, Isabel would sit at the back of the stand, behind the Currie bench cheering passionately for their ‘village team’. They rarely missed a Malleny game and would delight in post-match conversations with family and friends. Over the years they were part of the Currie Chieftains ‘family,’ a tradition which is the backbone of our Club.

Two weeks ago, the big Accies pack and their strong running backs caused Currie some problems, and within the first few minutes it was clear that the home team were in for another testing afternoon. Rhys Davies and Wallace Nelson made ground, but a stout defence, some strong scrummaging and a rising penalty count frustrated much of what the Chieftains were trying to achieve. After building some pressure Jamie Forbes kicked a penalty goal, and on ten minutes the Chieftains increased their lead. Following a DJ Innis turnover and a sparkling run from Joe Reynolds, Wallace Nelson powered his way to the line for an unconverted try.

Nevertheless, the visitors were quick to any breakdown, and their clear-outs brought three penalty goals to keep them snapping at Currie’s heels, even after Jamie Forbes had intercepted a loose speculative pass to score under the posts.

Far from being disheartened by this unexpected gift to the home team, Accies hit back in style with a try which started from just outside of their 22. The ball was moved swiftly through their backs who broke Currie’s defensive line, and after some exquisite inter-passing, Jamie Sole crashed over in the corner. The immaculate goal kicking of Jamie Loomes converted the try to give the visitors a one-point lead, but by the break Jamie Forbes had put the Chieftains back in front with another penalty.

Half-time score – Currie Chieftains 18 pts, Edinburgh Accies 16 pts.

Although Currie ruled the lineout with Cody Roman, Rhys Davies and Hamish Ferguson dominating, Accies were having the better of their opponents at scrum-time, and a devastating 30 metre rolling maul resulted in three more points for Jamie Loomes. The tackling of both teams was top drawer making any passage to the try line almost impossible.

Jamie Forbes kicked two more penalty goals to keep the home team’s noses in front, but with twenty minutes remaining there was still little in it. Both fifteens went through their skill sets creating plenty of excitement without getting much beyond the 22. Surprisingly, Accies missed a shot at goal, and some of their kicking from deep was starting to lose its accuracy. A fine counter-ruck by Ryan Daley, Ryan Stewart, AP McWilliam and Graeme Carson in front of the stand knocked the opposition off the ball; Hamish Ferguson picked up and careered 30 metres for a spectacular converted try.

The visitors then had a good period of possession moving the ball across the pitch and probing for gaps. They progressed to within five metres of the Currie line and gained a scrum penalty. Some quick thinking caught Currie off guard; the tap-and-go try for Ruairi Campbell was well-deserved, and the Chieftains faced some anxious moments for the closing stages. The cat-and-mouse action continued with Joe Reynolds pumping the ball deep into Accies’ territory, trying to keep play at that end of the pitch. As the visitors cleared their lines with similar ideas, Charlie Brett’s positioning under the high ball, plus his electric counter-attacking pace was rewarded. Currie’s agile fullback set off on a speculative jinking run down the touchline and accelerated for the corner flag. The brilliant try was converted by an equally spectacular kick from Jamie Forbes. These two closing tries made the game safe for the Chieftains, but once again it was a closer match than the final score indicates.

Full-time Score – Currie Chieftains 38 pts (t 4, c 3, p g 4), Edinburgh Accies 26 pts (t2, c 2, p g 4)

I.J.S. – 27.3.22.

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